Made In USA Bike Bell Raises $300,000 On Kickstarter

Bicycle accessory company Spurcycle raised more than $300,000 on the crowd-funding site during a recent push to launch a simple bike bell that will be made in the United States. The company is currently taking pre-orders that should be filled in January 2014.

The Ringer Bell “produces powerful sound from a trim, precision form” according to the company. It is designed for any bike, mounts to handlebars from 22-32mm, works vertically or horizontally, won’t rust and can be rung loudly or softly.

Spurcycle Ringer mounted and ready to chime

Spurcycle, who also builds bike grips and waterbottles, will produce the bells in collaboration with Bevin Brothers—a company that’s been making bells for bicycles, the Salvation Army, ice cream trucks and a lot more in Connecticut since 1832. The bell factory was destroyed in a fire in 2012 but a new facility is now up and running to produce more cowbells and work with Spurcycle on this project.

The bell is available in black and metal finish

We were impressed with the overwhelming success of their fund raising efforts and asked Spurcycle co-founder Nicholaus Slone why the product was so well received by the public.

“It is our our belief that product is king,” he said. “Well executed product doesn’t require fancy marketing or an extensive sales force, because it is inherently desirable. We have achieved this kind of design with our bell. “

Sloan said the company saw a void in the bike bell market, with no high-end, premium quality bells to match high end bikes.

“Many riders don’t want to mount a cheap plastic bell to the top of a $5,000 bike,” he said.

At $35, the Ringer is not a huge investment but definitely more expensive than many bike bells. The streamlined design adds very little beyond noise-making functionality to a bicycle. The bell is not much bigger than a thimble.

With manufacturing in the United States, we are excited to see a company take on a market traditionally dominated by cheap imports with a high quality product, and with nearly 6,000 backers contributing more than $300,000, we clearly aren’t alone. —Sean McCoy

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Managing Editor Sean McCoy is a life-long outdoorsman who grew up hunting and fishing central Wisconsin forests and lakes. He joined GearJunkie after a 10-year stint as a newspaperman in the Caribbean, where he learned sailing and wooden-boat repair. Based in Denver, McCoy is an avid trail runner, camper, hunter, angler, mountain biker, skier, and beer tester.

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